A contact lens that talks to a glaucoma patient’s smartphone. A thruster that directs a satellite to its precise destination in outer space. A fly lab for testing drones and other autonomous aerial vehicles.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra honored George Shirley, the first African-American tenor to join the Metropolitan Opera, and Earl Lewis, outgoing president of The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. I had the honor of interviewing the luminaries prior to the gala.

Detroit continues to justify its moniker as a Comeback City with new restaurants, brand-name retail, residential development and a new hockey arena. However, redevelopment has been slow to reach neighborhoods. A few groups aim to rectify that situation.

Programs like Street Medicine Detroit, TeachDETROIT, Math Corps, the Free Legal Aid Clinic and the Center for Urban Studies serve the city’s neighborhoods while providing hands-on learning opportunities for more than 27,000 university students.

This story originally appeared on FordBetterWorld.org The new presidential administration and questions about funding for school, after school and summer learning programs have amplified the national conversation about how we instruct our children. While many are focused on traditional school day programs, some experts say out-of-school programs are equally, if not more, important to the development of today’s youth. Children

The new presidential administration and questions about funding for school, after school and summer learning programs have amplified the national conversation about how we instruct our children. While many focus on traditional school day programs, some experts say out-of-school programs are equally, if not more, important to the development of today’s youth. Children spend about 20 percent of their waking